CSED hopes that the Cameroonians will definitely be inspired by the story of Mary Cholhok Nuba, a former South Sudanese refugee, who is now a netball superstar in England.
By TheInvestigator
Community Sport and Educational Development (CSED) Initiative has marked the 2024 Refugee Week and the International Olympic Day in Ogoja.
A netball exhibition was held as part of the activities to mark the calendar event. Netballers from Adagom 1, Adagom 3, and Ukende refugee camps were featured at the event that was held at the netball field of Adagom 1 camp.
Twenty netballers from each camp were kitted by Lord’s Taverners and CSED Initiative. Each netballer was provided a sport book (Kick It) that was donated by the Uxbridge library of London, Borough of Hillingdon (UK).
Netballers from the Ukende camp won the two exhibition games. The highlight of the event was the presentation of a N5,000, educational vouchers to the sixty netballers.
It would be recalled that netball was recently introduced to the three Ogoja refugee camps after CSED Initiative “Project 2027” training of Physical Education teachers in Cross River state, held in April 2024.
The “Project 2027” training event led to the certification of coaches – Stephanie Obi, Marceline Ode, and Shantel Eseh, they are Cameroonians.
These three coaches are now charged with the responsibility of providing the girls and ladies in their respective camp with access to learn the basics of netball, identify, and nurture the talents of the budding netballers.
CSED Initiative with the support of Lord’s Taverners, UNHCR, Cross River SEMA, and other relevant partners/stakeholders hope to use access to playing netball to provide psycho-social support and access to educational/life skills and training opportunities to the residents of the three camps.
The immediate goal of CSED Initiative is to build a multi-purpose cement playing surface for the use of the netballers in each of the separate camps.
Furthermore, some of these netballers will have access to take part in the “Sporting Coders” programme, which will allow them access to learn how to code, while at the same time playing netball.
The organisers of the event stated that their ultimate goal is to give the Cameroonian refugees a sporting chance to compete with others all over the world; in an attempt to feature in the netball event of the 2032 Olympic games in Brisbane.
CSED hopes that the Cameroonians will definitely be inspired by the story of Mary Cholhok Nuba, a former South Sudanese refugee, who is now a netball superstar in England.